BEND, OR -- COCC summer term registration opens this week. Registration for fall starts in three weeks. For students looking for financial aid the application time is now.

Financial Aid Director Breanna Sylwester says the process is like a conversation between the student and college, “The first step in applying for financial aid is completing the FAFSA application, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. We’ll get that information in and then we’ll contact you saying we need more information. You get that to us. We evaluate that. Then we give you the financial aid offer.”

Sylwester tells KBND News the COCC Foundation also offers help, “So we offer over 400 scholarships to our students through one online application. That application is up now and available to students to apply. That deadline is May 1^st.”

Students seeking financial aid and scholarships should start the process now. “It’s going to give you time to go through the different steps that need to happen before we can give you that financial aid offer. So, the earlier you start then the less stress there is at the last minute of trying to get everything in, and getting everything processed,” says Sylwester.

You’ll find more information on financial aid and scholarships at COCC’s website. 

The College’s board voted last week to raise tuition by 3%, starting in the fall.